Große Fettspinne vs Wolf

Steatoda grossa compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Große Fettspinne is Least Concern while Wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Große Fettspinne	Wolf
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Arachnida (Spinnentiere)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Araneae (Webspinnen)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Theridiidae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Steatoda	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Steatoda grossa	Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

Große Fettspinne and Wolf share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Große Fettspinne

LC — Least Concern

Wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Große Fettspinne	Wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Große Fettspinne

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (29 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Ecuador).

Wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Große Fettspinne

The false black widow (Steatoda grossa) is a cosmopolitan cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae, often mistaken for the true black widow due to its similarly dark, globose abdomen, though it lacks the red hourglass marking. Females reach 6–10 millimeters in body length and display a deep purplish-brown to nearly black coloration with faint pale markings on the dorsal abdomen. Originally native to western Europe, Steatoda grossa has spread globally through human commerce, establishing populations in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and other regions where it thrives in human structures including homes, sheds, and outbuildings. The spider constructs a persistent, tangled cobweb in sheltered corners and recesses, where it captures woodlice, ants, beetles, and other arthropods—notably targeting invertebrates that many other spiders avoid. The venom of S. grossa causes steatodism, a syndrome of localized pain, sweating, and systemic discomfort that is rarely serious but can cause significant distress. Interestingly, the antivenin produced for Latrodectus (true widow) spider bites has been shown to effectively treat Steatoda envenomations, underscoring the phylogenetic relatedness of these genera. Females produce several egg sacs during a season, each containing dozens of eggs wrapped in distinctive silken cocoons. The species is classified as Least Concern given its expanding global distribution facilitated by human activity.

Wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States